9 stars whose transfer fees exploded after World Cups including Man Utd flops

World Cups are notorious for inflating the prices of players who are seen to perform well and 2022's edition of the tournament will likely be no different.

A raft of players have seen their transfer value explode after being one of the stars of their nation's campaign. And fresh research by Saxo UK appears to show that Premier League teams have been caught out by overpaying for players who go on to flop badly at their new club.

The investment platform studied the rise in stock of several players from past editions of the World Cup. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at nine of the players who saw their value explode after one of the tournaments.

Kieran Trippier

Kieran Trippier's performance at the 2018 World Cup will go down in history after his goal in England's semi-final against Croatia. His stunning free-kick saw the Three Lions begin to dream before they were ultimately knocked out.

His displays in Russia also caught the eye of interested clubs, with the fullback on the move within a year. Trippier was worth £18m before the 2018 World Cup but joined Atletico Madrid for £19.8m, a growth in value of 10 per cent.

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Benjamin Pavard

Benjamin Pavard was one of the surprise stars of the 2018 World Cup, scoring one of the goals of the tournament. His stunning volley against Argentina proved crucial in France's run to winning the World Cup.

Alongside his performances in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart, that ensured he caught the eye of Bayern Munich. A year after the tournament, they paid £31.5m to sign him, an increase of 17 per cent from his pre-World Cup value of £27m.

Aleksandr Golovin

Aleksandr Golovin starred for hosts Russia in their surprise run to the quarter-finals in 2018, helping them to defeat Spain along the way. It was his performance in the opening game against Saudi Arabia that was most impressive as he scored once and notched two assists.

His displays at the tournament were enough for him to earn a big-money move from CSKA Moscow to AS Monaco soon after the final. The Ligue 1 side paid £27m to sign him, a 67 per cent increase from his pre-World Cup value of £16.2m.

James Rodriguez

A real case of a wasted opportunity is James Rodriguez, who starred at the 2014 World Cup. He scored a memorable volley against Uruguay, which later won the Puskas Award, and he was also named man of the match three times in his five games.

His performances in Brazil saw him join Real Madrid later that summer from Monaco. The La Liga giants paid a huge fee of £67.5m to bring him to the Spanish capital, an increase of 114 per cent from his pre-tournament value of £31.5m.

Ramires

It was a starring performance at the 2010 World Cup that drew Chelsea to Brazilian midfielder Ramires. Then at Benfica, he impressed despite A Selecao's disappointing campaign, which saw them dumped out in the quarter-finals.

Brazil's coach Dunga blamed his side's exit on the absence of Ramires from that defeat to the Netherlands. Chelsea were convinced to sign him though, paying £19.8m to Benfica, a 144 per cent increase from his pre-tournament value of £8.1m.

Keylor Navas

The 2014 World Cup was a hotbed for stars boosting their transfer fees, including Keylor Navas. The goalkeeper starred fro Costa Rica as they reached the quarter-finals, keeping three clean sheets along the way.

He also picked up three man of the match awards, the only keeper to do so at the tournament. His performances led to Real Madrid activating the £9m release clause in his contract, a 150 per cent increase from his pre-World Cup value of £3.6m.

Daley Blind

The Netherlands were the surprise package of the 2014 World Cup, starting with their hammering of Spain in their opening game. One of their key players was Daley Blind, who started at left wing-back.

The Oranje's performance at the tournament earned Louis van Gaal the Manchester United manager's job, with Blind following him to Old Trafford. United paid Ajax £15.74m for the defender, a 192 per cent increase from his pre-World Cup value of £5.4m.

Harry Maguire

It was his performance at the 2018 World Cup that launched Harry Maguire into the minds of the top Premier League clubs. He played in every game as England reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by Croatia.

He continued to impress in the top flight for Leicester City before Manchester United came calling in the summer of 2019. The Red Devils paid out a world record fee of £78.3m, a massive 248 per cent increase from his pre-tournament value of £22.5m.

Marcos Rojo

Marcos Rojo played in all but one game as Argentina went all the way to the final in the 2014 World Cup. He was suspended for the quarter-final win over Belgium, but almost every minute of all the other games, including the heartbreaking defeat to Germany.

His performances drew the eye of Manchester United, who paid Sporting Lisbon £18m to sign him that August. That represents a growth in value of an astonishing 300 per cent from his pre-tournament price of £4.5m.

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